Fitness Tests and Match Performance in a Male Ice Hockey National League.

PURPOSE: To determine if generic off-ice physical fitness tests can provide useful predictions of ice hockey players' match performance. METHODS: Approximately 40 to 60 defenders and 70 to 100 forwards from the Norwegian male upper ice hockey league were tested for strength (1-repetition maximum in squat and bench press), power (40-m sprint and countermovement jump), and endurance (hanging sit-ups, chins, and 3000-m run) annually at the end of every preseason period between 2008 and 2017. Measures of match performance were each player's season mean counts per match of assists, points, goals, penalty minutes, and plus-minus score. RESULTS: Overall, match performance measures displayed trivial to small correlations with the fitness tests. More specifically, points per game had at most small correlations with measures of strength (range, approximately -0.2 to 0.3), speed (approximately -0.2 to 0.3), and endurance (approximately -0.1 to 0.3). After adjustments for age that showed moderate to large correlations with player match performance, multiple-regression analyses of each test measure still provided some predictability among players of the same age. However, players selected for the national team had substantially better mean scores for most tests and match performance measures than those not selected, with a moderate to large difference for age, 1-repetition maximum squat, and 1-repetition maximum bench press. CONCLUSIONS: Fitness tests had only marginal utility for predicting match performance in Norwegian hockey players, but those selected into the national team had better general fitness.

Countermovement Jump Height in National-Team Athletes of Various Sports: A Framework for Practitioners and Scientists.

PURPOSE: To quantify possible differences in countermovement jump height across sport disciplines and sex in national-team athletes. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 588 women (23 [5] y, 66 [8] kg) and 989 men (23 [5] y, 82 [12] kg) from 44 different sport disciplines (including 299 medalists from European Championships, World Championships, and/or Olympic Games) tested a countermovement jump on a force platform at the Norwegian Olympic Training Center between 1995 and 2018. RESULTS: Athletic sprinting showed the highest values among the men (62.7 [4.8] cm) and women (48.4 [6.0] cm), clearly ahead of the long jump/triple jump (mean difference ± 90% CL: 6.5 ± 5.0 and 4.3  ± 4.1; very likely and likely; moderate) and speed skating sprint (11.4 ± 3.1 and 7.5 ± 5.5 cm; most likely and very likely; very large and moderate). These horizontally oriented sports displayed superior results compared with more vertically oriented and powerful sports such as beach volleyball, weightlifting, and ski jumping, both in men (from 2.9 ± 4.7 to 15.6 ± 2.9 cm; small to very large; possibly to most likely) and women (5.9 ± 4.8 to 13.4 ± 3.4 cm; large to very large; very likely to most likely), while endurance sports and precision sports were at the other end of the scale. Overall, the men jumped 33% higher than the women (10.3, ±0.6 cm; most likely; large). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides practitioners and scientists with useful information regarding the variation in countermovement jump height among national-team athletes within and across sport disciplines.

Sprint mechanical properties in soccer players according to playing standard, position, age and sex.

The purpose of this study was to quantify possible differences in sprint mechanical outputs in soccer according to soccer playing standard, position, age and sex. Sprint tests of 674 male and female players were analysed. Theoretical maximal velocity (v0), horizontal force (F0), horizontal power (Pmax), force-velocity slope (SFV), ratio of force (RFmax) and index of force application technique (DRF) were calculated from anthropometric and spatiotemporal data using an inverse dynamic approach applied to the centre-of-mass movement. Players of higher standard exhibited superior F0, v0, Pmax, RFmax and DRF scores (small to large effects) than those of lower standard. Forwards displayed clearly superior values for most outputs, ahead of defenders, midfielders and goalkeepers, respectively. Male >28 y players achieved poorer v0, Pmax and RFmax than <20, 20-24 and 24-28 y players (small to moderate), while female <20 y players showed poorer values than 20-24 and >24 y players for the same measures (small). The sex differences in sprint mechanical properties ranged from small to very large. These results provide a holistic picture of the force-velocity-power profile continuum in sprinting soccer players and serve as useful background information for practitioners when diagnosing individual players and prescribing training programmes.

Power-Force-Velocity Profiling of Sprinting Athletes: Methodological and Practical Considerations When Using Timing Gates.

Haugen, TA, Breitschädel, F, and Samozino, P. Power-force-velocity profiling of sprinting athletes: Methodological and practical considerations when using timing gates. J Strength Cond Res 34(6): 1769-1773, 2020-The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of timing gate setup on mechanical outputs in sprinting athletes. Twenty-five male and female team sport athletes (mean ± SD: 23 ± 4 years, 185 ± 11 cm, 85 ± 13 kg) performed two 40-m sprints with maximal effort. Dual-beamed timing gates covered the entire running course with 5-m intervals. Maximal horizontal force (F0), theoretical maximal velocity (v0), maximal horizontal power (Pmax), force-velocity slope (SFV), maximal ratio of force (RFmax), and index of force application technique (DRF) were computed using a validated biomechanical model and based on 12 varying split time combinations, ranging from 3 to 8 timing checkpoints. When no timing gates were located after the 20-m mark, F0 was overestimated (mean difference, ±90% confidence level: 0.16, ±0.25 to 0.33, ±0.28 N·kg; possibly to likely; small), in turn affecting SFV and DRF by small to moderate effects. Timing setups covering only the first 15 m displayed lower v0 than setups covering the first 30-40 m of the sprints (0.21, ±0.34 to 0.25, ±0.34 m·s; likely; small). Moreover, poorer reliability values were observed for timing setups covering the first 15-20 m vs. the first 25-40 m of the sprints. In conclusion, the present findings showed that the entire acceleration phase should be covered by timing gates to ensure acceptably valid and reliable sprint mechanical outputs. However, only 3 timing checkpoints (i.e., 10, 20, and 30 m) are required to ensure valid and reliable outputs for team sport athletes.

Sprint mechanical variables in elite athletes: Are force-velocity profiles sport specific or individual?

PURPOSE: The main aim of this investigation was to quantify differences in sprint mechanical variables across sports and within each sport. Secondary aims were to quantify sex differences and relationships among the variables. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study of elite athletes, 235 women (23 ± 5 y and 65 ± 7 kg) and 431 men (23 ± 4 y and 80 ± 12 kg) from 23 different sports (including 128 medalists from World Championships and/or Olympic Games) were tested in a 40-m sprint at the Norwegian Olympic Training Center between 1995 and 2018. These were pre-existing data from quarterly or semi-annual testing that the athletes performed for training purposes. Anthropometric and speed-time sprint data were used to calculate the theoretical maximal velocity, horizontal force, horizontal power, slope of the force-velocity relationship, maximal ratio of force, and index of force application technique. RESULTS: Substantial differences in mechanical profiles were observed across sports. Athletes in sports in which sprinting ability is an important predictor of success (e.g., athletics sprinting, jumping and bobsleigh) produced the highest values for most variables, whereas athletes in sports in which sprinting ability is not as important tended to produce substantially lower values. The sex differences ranged from small to large, depending on variable of interest. Although most of the variables were strongly associated with 10- and 40-m sprint time, considerable individual differences in sprint mechanical variables were observed among equally performing athletes. CONCLUSIONS: Our data from a large sample of elite athletes tested under identical conditions provides a holistic picture of the force-velocity-power profile continuum in athletes. The data indicate that sprint mechanical variables are more individual than sport specific. The values presented in this study could be used by coaches to develop interventions that optimize the training stimulus to the individual athlete.

Sprint Mechanical Properties in Handball and Basketball Players.

PURPOSE: To quantify possible differences in sprint mechanical outputs in handball and basketball players according to playing standard and position. METHODS: Sprint tests of 298 male players were analyzed. Theoretical maximal velocity (v0), horizontal force (F0), horizontal power (Pmax), force-velocity slope (SFV), ratio of force (RFmax), and index of force application technique (DRF) were calculated from anthropometric and spatiotemporal data using an inverse dynamic approach applied to the center-of-mass movement. RESULTS: National-team handball players displayed clearly superior 10-m times (0.03, ±0.02 s), 40-m times (0.12, ±0.07 s), F0 (0.1, ±0.2 N·kg-1), v0 (0.3, ±0.2 m·s-1), and Pmax (0.9, ±0.5 W·kg-1) than corresponding top-division players. Wings differed from the other positions in terms of superior 10-m times (0.02, ±0.01 to 0.07, ±0.02 s), 40-m times (0.07, ±0.05 to 0.27, ±0.07 s), F0 (0.2, ±0.1 to 0.4, ±0.2 N·kg-1), v0 (0.1, ±0.1 to 0.5, ±0.1 m·s-1), Pmax (0.7, ±0.4 to 2.0, ±0.5 W·kg-1), and RFmax (0.6, ±0.4 to 1.3, ±0.4%). In basketball, guards differed from forwards in terms of superior 10-m times (0.03, ±0.02 s), 40-m times (0.10, ±0.08 s), v0 (0.2, ±0.1 m·s-1), Pmax (0.6, ±0.6 W·kg-1), and RFmax (0.4, ±0.3%). The effect magnitudes of the substantial differences observed ranged from small to large. CONCLUSIONS: The present results provide an overall picture of the force-velocity profile continuum in sprinting handball and basketball players and serve as useful background information for practitioners when diagnosing individual players and prescribing training programs.

Peak Age and Performance Progression in World-Class Track-and-Field Athletes.

The aim of this study was to quantify peak age and improvements over the preceding years to peak age in elite athletic contestants according to athlete performance level, sex, and discipline. Individual season bests for world-ranked top 100 athletes from 2002 to 2016 (14,937 athletes and 57,049 individual results) were downloaded from the International Association of Athletics Federations' website. Individual performance trends were generated by fitting a quadratic curve separately to each athlete's performance and age data using a linear modeling procedure. Mean peak age was typically 25-27 y, but somewhat higher for marathon and male throwers (∼28-29 y). Women reached greater peak age than men in the hurdles and middle- and long-distance running events (mean difference, ±90% CL: 0.6, ±0.3 to 1.9, ±0.3 y: small to moderate). Male throwers had greater peak age than corresponding women (1.3, ±0.3 y: small). Throwers displayed the greatest performance improvements over the 5 y prior to peak age (mean [SD]: 7.0% [2.9%]), clearly ahead of jumpers, long-distance runners, hurdlers, middle-distance runners, and sprinters (3.4, ±0.2% to 5.2, ±0.2%; moderate to large). Similarly, top 10 athletes showed greater improvements than top 11-100 athletes in all events (1.0, ±0.9% to 1.8, ±1.1%; small) except throws. Women improved more than men in all events (0.4, ±0.2% to 2.9, ±0.4%) except sprints. This study provides novel insight on performance development in athletic contestants that are useful for practitioners when setting goals and evaluating strategies for achieving success.